The Game of Shadows
by Catherine-Scarlett77
Summary: A is stronger then ever before; Lindon James is dead. Caleb is fading. And Toby is crumbling inside. The pretty little liars are at their weakest, but soon they will find themselves with the most powerful weapon. They will learn secrets and dig up all that has meant to stayed buried. But what happens when those who were long gone return? The game is far from over.
1. The Black Hood

**Author's Note: **This is our pretty little liar's story. Yes, 'our'. Rose Diamund is co-writing this with me! So half-credit goes to her! And this chapter was written by **Rose Diamund,** not me. NOTE: This story takes place after the recent season (third or fourth) season finale. We are going by the TV show. And this is our own idea of what could happen next. So, if you have not seen the finale, there will be spoilers in this story. So do not read it if you do not want to be surprised! This is rated M for profanity, a bit of violence, and _maybe _some sexually graphic scenes. Not sure about that though. Thank you! Please review.

~Catherine-Scarlett77 and _{Rose Diamund}_

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1. THE BLACK HOOD

Toby's mind was whirling. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he ran across the pavement, the cool autumn wind sending a chill down his spine. He stared down at the black shoes he wore, never ceasing to run. He had no idea where he was going; he just ran. Turning corners, running across streets, wanting desperately to get as far away from Radley as possible. Soon, Toby found himself in a park, fallen, crisp leaves crackling underfoot.

The park was deserted, and Toby lifted his gaze to the sky. Night had stained the sky with inky black clouds, and no stars shone. The silver of a crescent moon dimly lit the sky, but it only gave cold, unfeeling light. Toby felt a hot trail of tears cascade down his cheek, and sobs catch in his throat. He sat on a bench, pulling down his black hood.

He had never wanted to hurt anyone. He never wanted to go back to being to crazy, killer teen everybody in Rosewood had seen him as for years. More tears came down. He had fought so hard to prove that he was innocent, that he would never – could never – kill somebody. And here he was, forced back into stalking, torturing the very girl he was in love with, and all her friends.

Toby heard in phone ring, and he felt his blood go cold. He looked at call ID, which read: BLOCKED NUMBER. Hesitantly, he answered, with a weak, "Hello?"

"Stop your sniveling," Came the biting voice. It was obviously computerized – it sounded deep and un-human. The truth was that Toby had never known who the real A was. "We have a job to do."

"I did what you asked," Toby said sharply, "I got Mona, I sent the texts. I'm done."

There was a laugh. "You're not done until I say you are," the voice snarled, "don't forget, Toby, I know what you've done. Don't think I won't hesitate to get it on the news. No, I have many more jobs for you."

"I can't do this anymore," Toby said through gritted teeth. "You said if I did this, it would be over."

"It'll never be over, and you can't get out of it, especially now." The voice growled, "You're just as guilty as I am, just as good. Let's not forget what happened tonight. _Everything _that happened."

"I didn't know anyone would get hurt," Toby insisted.

Toby could hear that the person was grinning in their voice, "But still, you hurt them, didn't you? It's not over. Not tonight. I'm going to need you to do something for me."

"_Now? _Tonight? Haven't you done enough?!"

The next words were filled with pure malice. Toby could hear the hatred vibrating through every word, "Oh, no. Not nearly enough. Those damned pretty little liars will get exactly what they deserve, and they've only gotten a _taste _of it so far."

"I won't – "

"I don't think you have a choice," The voice snapped. "You know exactly what I'm capable, Toby. _Don't test me."_

Toby began to say something, but the line was cut off. A had hung up.

* * *

Hanna couldn't sleep. She would never sleep again.

Emily sat on her right, Aria on her left and Spencer on the other side of Aria. The girls stared at the fireplace, the dancing flames. They were in Spencer's living room, alone in the house. Hanna felt her mug - which was filled of hot cocoa – burning her hand. She hadn't taken a sip yet. She knew she'd never be able to hold anything in her stomach.

A tear slid down her cheek, as she stared blankly at the swirling flames, feeling Emily and Aria pressed at her sides, their eyes forward as well.

Emily closed her eyes, holding back tears. Blood still stained her palms. She had killed tonight. She was a murderer. Lindon James was dead. She had seen his eyes go lifeless, his body grow still and motionless. She had trusted him, allowed down her walls of safety to let him in, and then… killed him. Without a thought. They had been struggling, and she had grabbed the knife from his hand. No thoughts or words had gone in her mind, she had just plunged the life deep into his chest. And then Caleb…

Emily's memory was still foggy. She could hardly remember how it happened. One moment, she was clinging to Caleb, feeling scared and relived that he was there all at the same time. And then he was on the ground, gasping for breath, blooding staining himself and dripping everywhere.

Aria looked around at the girls, trying desperately to think of something to say. But what could be said? Everything had gone wrong. Everything Aria had believed was all, so tragically wrong. She had lied to Ezra, she had been accused Paige unjustly, and now… someone was dead. Someone – someone who was close to them – was in the hospital, fighting for his life. If he wasn't already dead. And it was _all _because of them.

No. Aria realized, anger pulsing through her.

It was because of A.

A had been haunting them for a year, sending them messages in every way, about every secret. And now, it seemed there was more than one A. Someone who helped Mona. Someone who killed. A was suffocating them all, slowly circling in for the kill. And they would take anyone down who got in their way, one-by-one.

There was a loud crunch from behind, and it sounded distant, perhaps from outside.

All four girls turned around, gasping.

"What was that?" Hanna asked breathlessly, her heart ceasing to pound for a moment.

"I… don't know…" Emily said nervously, throwing the blanket that all of them shared off of her and standing up.

Spencer stood too, "Guys, it sounded like a twig snapping. It could be anything: a squirrel, maybe my neighbor's dog. Nothing to get freaked about," but even her voice shook, contradicting her words.

Aria was already at the window, and she let out a small yelp. She turned to face Spencer, "A squirrel?"

All the girls joined her at the window, and their hearts stopped. There standing not twenty feet away from the other side of the glass stood someone. Not someone. _A. _The black hooded figure lifted their hand, and pointed at them directly, their eyes glistening with malice in the dim moonlight. And then, they turned away. And all the girls watched A run away, frozen in place, staring at the person in the black hood.


	2. Amidst the Storm

**Thank you for all the reviews! And no, Toby was not the A standing outside the window. In this, there are three or four As. Mona, Toby, and...? Guess you'll have to read to find out! This chapter was completely written by **Rose Diamund **again. I really like this chapter - and the cliffhanger at the end of it. Please review and tell us what you think!**

**~Catherine-Scarlett77 and _{Rose Diamund}_**

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2. AMIDST THE STORM

Emily Fields pushed a strand of her raven hair out of her eyes, staring out the window. She sat in her room, on the windowsill, looking out on her backyard and glancing up at the sky. It was grey, and the sun seemed to be non-existent. A drizzle of rain came down, and Emily felt a chill creep up and down her spine, because her window was open. She loved listening to the rain, smelling the air become fresh as the rain-washed through it, so she had cracked her window open.

An item was in her hand, and she looked down on it. It was a picture. One of her and Maya, smiling into the camera. Maya looking beautiful, her eyes shining and her glossed lips turned upward in a mysterious smile. A tear found it's way down her cheek, and Emily bit her lip. It had been months since Maya had gone missing – Emily had even gotten a new girlfriend. But it still hurt as though she had only just received the news. She had been found near Emily's house, the night of the Masquerade.

She could almost hear Maya talking to her, saying that she loved her. But she knew that Maya was gone. That everything would eventually fade away, even the pain.

"Emily!" Her mother's voice called from down the stairs. "Dinner!"

"Coming." Emily shouted back weakly. She stood and glanced at herself in her full mirror, wiping away the tears to make it less obvious that she had been crying. She sniffled a little and exited her room, making her way down the stairs.

Dinner was silent, as it usually was nowadays. Emily chewed slowly on her spaghetti, feeling as if her stomach was turning inside out as she ate. She didn't feel like eating anything. Especially after last night.  
When Emily had seen A, standing so close, her blood had turned cold as ice. She hadn't been able to think, hardly even to breathe. And seeing that A had pointed directly at them, indicating…

Indicating _what?_

Emily had replayed the scene over and over in her mind, and the more she did, the more she got scared. She didn't want to be haunted anymore. She hadn't done anything wrong! All she ever wanted was to have a friend who could love her, and for years she had thought that person was Ali. No, not just a friend. She loved Ali. Maybe she still did.

Emily stood from the table, pushing her chair back, "I have to be excused."

"Emily," Her mom frowned, but Emily ran from the dining room, already beginning to sob.

She didn't want any of this. She didn't want all the secrets and lies. She just wanted Maya. Her friends. _Ali. _

Outside, thunder boomed in the sky, making Emily jump. The wind whirled around, making the autumn leaves swirl through the air like a hurricane. She ran up to her room, tears staining her cheeks. She flopped down on her bed, sobbing hard into her pillows.

She heard her phone chime.

Emily's heart stopped, and she picked up her phone from her side table. A message on her phone read: NEW TEXT MESSAGE FROM BLOCKED NUMBER. She swallowed and pressed view.

_Poor, sweet Emily. Don't cry. You always were my favorite ;)_

_-A_

This only made Emily cry harder, and she threw her phone down on her bed, sobbing. A moment later, she picked up her phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, they picked up, Emily's voice was weak, "Paige…"

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Spencer Hastings sighed, and put her laptop on the coffee table in front of her. She stood and made her way to the front door. She opened it, and Toby stared back at her. She smiled instantly, "Toby."

Toby put one of his hands on her waist and kissed her, "Hey. Can I come in?"

Spencer moved, "Yeah, of course. My parents aren't home."

Toby sat down on the couch, and gestured for Spencer to sit next to him. "I… heard what happened last night."

Spencer's smile faded. "Can we please not talk about that?"

"Spencer, we have to sometime." Toby insisted. Spencer said nothing in reply. He sighed, "I'm sorry. I know it must have been hard for you – "

"If you care so much why aren't you talking to Emily? She's the one who went into shock. She killed someone." Spencer snapped. The last thing she wanted to talk about with anyone was last night.

Toby looked hurt, "Because Emily isn't my girlfriend, Spence. I'll call her later. But I'm worried about you."

Spencer covered her face with her hands, "I'm sorry. It's just so hard – "

"Has A been texting you still?" Toby interrupted, his voice suddenly toneless.

Spencer was taken aback. She hesitated, "Mona was A…" She said uncertainly, "Ever since she got put in Radley we haven't heard from A. W-why do you ask?"

"Spencer, what happened last night? Don't tell me there isn't _something_ – "

"There is no A." Spencer replied icily, "Not anymore."

Toby's voice was edged with anger; "You can't shut me out Spencer, not after all of this. I know something is going on so don't try to tell me otherwise."

"Nothing is going on!" Spencer exclaimed. Her voice softened, "I promise, I'd tell you if I couldn't handle it on my own. But there is nothing going on."

Toby merely looked at her for the longest time, staring deep into her eyes as if he were trying to get into her soul. He spoke then, saying simply, "You're lying."

Spencer flustered, "You always think I'm hiding something from you!"

"Because you always are!"

Spencer closed my eyes. Could she tell him? After all that's happened… wouldn't he get hurt? Caleb did. Someone always was getting hurt. Spencer fought back tears, moving her gaze to the window. She watched the wind bristle through the tree, making them shake violently. The sky was a deep grey now, and it was inevitable that a storm was on its way.

"Spencer…" Toby's thumb slid across Spencer's cheek, and she leaned into his chest, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. Toby put his arms around her.

"Yes," She whispered, shutting her eyes tight. "A is back. A few days after Mona was put away…"

Toby pulled away, looking into her eyes. They were laced with pain. He felt like crying, now, seeing her so tortured. God, had he done this? He knew he was the reason… if only he could tell her the truth. Take her away from Rosewood, away from A. He loved her so much. "You have to tell that police."

Spencer paled, "Wh-what? No! The girls would kill me if they knew I'd told you, let alone the police – "

"I'm sure they'll understand." Toby interrupted, "But you can't let… whoever A is… get away with this. You're hurting Spencer. You're driving yourself mad because A is killing you inside. I – they are never going to let you go unless you make them."

Spencer shook her head, "I can't tell the police. I can't tell anyone, Toby. You don't understand. A will probably frame us for Maya's death… maybe even Caleb's."

"I know you're scared. I've been framed too. But I'm here now. I'm not going to let A hurt you anymore." He pulled Spencer into an embrace, kissing her on the top of her head and she buried her face in his chest.

Spencer's next words came as a deadly whisper, which chilled Toby, "You're too late."

* * *

Emily's cheek rested on Paige's shoulder. The two lay on her bed in silence, both thinking. Emily looked up at Paige, her voice weak, "I'm sorry."

Paige stroked Emily's hair, "For what?"

"Last night… I never meant to drag you into all of this. First my friends thought you were A and then…" Her voice trailed off and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Hey," Paige stared into Emily's brown eyes, her voice soft and kind, "you didn't do anything, Em. You're friends were right to suspect me. Alison and I had a bad past. I should have told that to you straight up. But now it's over, you never have to worry. I'm here for you." She kissed Emily slowly, feeling salty tears run down Emily's face.

Emily pulled away, smiling a sad little smile, "I can still see him." She whispered, her tone filled with regret and sorrow, "He was covered in blood… his eyes… they were so lifeless, Paige. I did that. I took someone's life away. I'm just as bad as A."

"Emily, don't say that. A killed out of cold blood. So did Lindon. He was trying to hurt you, Em. It was self-defense. You were protecting yourself." Paige insisted quietly.

Emily shook her head, "When I found out that he killed Maya, because she loved me… I wanted him dead. I wanted to kill him, Paige. That's all I could think. And then I did. I'm a killer."

"It's natural to want him gone, he hurt you. Someone you loved."

More tears cascaded down her cheeks, "It just feels so wrong."

Paige kissed her forehead, "I know." She looked at her watch, throwing Emily an apologetic look, "I have to go. My parents expect me home. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Emily replied. "I'll walk you out."

The two girls walked downstairs, and Emily held the door open for Paige, gesturing for her to exit first. After Paige had walked out, Emily followed.

"God, there's going to be a hell of a storm tonight," Paige said, looking at the sky.

"Yeah," Emily replied meekly.

Paige turned and looked at Emily, her car keys in her hand, "Call me tonight, okay? I want to know how you're doing."

Emily just nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Paige took her hand in Emily's, "You never have to go through this alone, okay? I'm here for you. I'm sure the other girls are too."

"I know," She answered shortly, her voice cracking.

Paige sighed and embraced Emily, "I'm so sorry," She whispered in her ear. When they pulled away, Paige leaned forward and kissed Emily fully on her lips.

Emily pulled away after a minute, smiling a little. "I love you," She whispered.

"I love you, too," Paige said, and she got into her car, giving Emily a last wave goodbye, and drove away.

Emily watched Paige's car pull of the driveway, and slowly begin to fade away. The wind whipped her hair around, and the sky was a dark grey now. A few drops of rain fell onto Emily's bare arms, and she shivered. Emily sighed and looked around, beginning to go back towards her house. But then she saw something. Something distant.

Emily turned and stared straight into the face of someone at least one hundred feet away. Someone so familiar Emily almost screamed. The person watched her, and then turned and ran away. Emily wanted to chase, but couldn't move. She was dumbstruck for a moment, the image of the person so clear in her mind even after she was out of sight. All she could do was squeak out this one word.

"Maya?"


	3. Fall Into The Darkness

**A/N: **We're back! Sorry for the delay in updating, and for the short chapter. We will try to be more consistant. This chapter got into some more drama, and resparked some old. **Rose Diamund **and I both wrote this chapter. Mostly her. Anyway, please review! Hope you like it!

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3. FALL INTO THE DARKNESS

Aria Montgomery sat in the café; she took a long sip of her coffee, before proceeding to pick at her neon orange nail polish, which had already begun to wither away. She gazed down at the book placed before her on the coffee table. It was an English assignment, she had to finish chapter six by the next day. But Aria couldn't seem to focus on the assignment. Whenever she picked up the book, it was like her vision blurred. Like she was blinded. Her head ached badly, and she rubbed her temples.

She stared at her shoes. She wore neon pink sneakers. She bit her lip with force, pushing a strand of her dark hair out of her face. Her thoughts wandered to two nights prior; all the horrors that had taken place. Emily had always been the sweetest of them. She had been the most cautious and quietest. She'd struggled through so much, and still come out with few tears. Often times, Emily would avoid problems, or try to fix them. She hated confrontations. Nobody would have thought she was capable of hurting someone.

No one would have thought she was capable of murder.

Aria had seen her that night, after she had stabbed James Lindon. Emily hadn't been the same. Her eyes were dark and self-hating, and she had cried over and over again. Aria was unable to bear the sound of her crying.

The four girls had stared into the fire, letting it warm their faces. Still, they had all felt cold. Desolate. Alone.

A was still there. A was someone around them, who hated them so much they were willing to take any risk, destroy any life and shatter every soul to make sure the girls were completely miserable. And they had no way to stop them. A sought to destroy the girls, take them down one-by-one. And Aria wasn't so sure A hadn't succeeded in ruining Emily's already delicate life.

"Aria?" A voice broke into her thoughts.

Aria looked up, meeting the eyes of Ezra. She frowned; he looked as though he had been crying, "Hey. What's wrong?"

"You tell me," Ezra said sharply, his voice shaking. From behind Ezra, Wesley stepped out, looking guilty as ever. Ezra's words made Aria quake, "Why didn't you tell me about my son?"

Aria stood, her mouth parted in shock. Her vision blurred with tears of rage. She looked at Wesley, who threw her an apologetic glance. "You told him?!" She cried, feeling her insides crumble.

"Aria, I'm sor – " Wesley began, but he was interrupted.

"Wesley didn't do anything, Aria! He told me what I _deserved _to know. Something you couldn't have been bothered to do!" Ezra shouted angrily.

"What was I supposed to do!" Aria fired back, "Just tell you that I found Maggie, and that you have a son? It would be too much, Ezra, you wouldn't have been able to handle it. You know that!"

Ezra shook his head, and he looked as though he were on the verge of tears, "Maybe. But you could have told me. I have a son. A little boy, whose life I've been missing out on for years."

"It's not my fault Maggie didn't tell you!"

"No, but it's your fault that you didn't come to me," Ezra said weakly. He shook his head, "I can't even look at you, Aria. How could you?"

"Ezra, please – "

"Don't waste your breath," Ezra turned around, exiting the café.

Wesley stood before Aria, his arms tense at his side, "Aria. I - "

"We agreed we wouldn't tell him! You promised me, Wesley. You lied to me." She said sharply.

"Look – "

"No, you look. I don't ever want to see your face again." Aria exclaimed, irate. She picked up her book and coffee, tossing her bag over her shoulder. And she pushed open the door, leaving Wesley alone.

* * *

Hanna wiped her tears away with a clean napkin. She crossed her legs at the ankles, trying to regain her breath. She sat in the hospital waiting room, biting her lip and trying not to cry. A moment later, the doctor appeared.

"Doctor," Hanna stood suddenly, beckoning him over to her. "How is he? Can I go see him?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Marin, he is in critical condition." The doctor said slowly.

Hannah felt tears well in her eyes, "b-but he'll be okay, won't he? You guys are making him better?"

"We're doing our very best, Miss Marin. He seems to be reacting positively to the medication we're giving him. But for the time being, he is not permitted to see visitors."

Hanna wiped a tear from her eye, nodded, "I understand. But would you mind calling me, when he can see me?" She handed the doctor a slip of paper, "I wasn't able to sign the paper and put myself under emergency contacts. But please call me anytime anything new comes up."

"I'll put this in our information," The doctor replied, holding up the slip of paper, "We'll be sure to call you."

Hanna nodded, "Thank you. Do you think I could see him in the next few days?"

The doctor hesitated, "It's hard to say. Caleb is responding well to the treatment, but with the condition he's in – well, it can still go either way."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I'm sorry to have to tell you, but there still is a possibility that Caleb… may not make it."

Hanna's eyes widened, "No."

"We're doing the very best we can, I assure you. But we can't promise that everything will go accordingly." The doctor looked down, "I'm sorry. But I do have other patients waiting. If you'll excuse me." He passed by Hanna without another word.

Hanna closed her eyes tightly, tears running down her cheeks. Her phone chimed suddenly, making her jump. _No, please… _She thought as she pulled her phone from her back pocket. There was a text from BLOCKED NUMBER. Hanna drew a breath, and pressed READ.

_Poor Han. My heart really does go out for you, hon. If you want your little boy toy to live, I suggest you do everything I say. We all know I can get into hospitals pretty easily._

_-A_

* * *

Emily lay in her bed. The night was dark and black, and every time she closed her eyes she saw James Lindon's bloody, motionless body. He would haunt her forever.

Her thoughts wandered, and she thought of the image she had seen in the distance. She knew it _couldn't _have been Maya. She mistook Maya for someone, the person was far away, and she couldn't see well through the storm. But something deep within Emily knew she was lying to herself. A was driving her insane. She couldn't have seen Maya. Maya was dead, they had found her body. Or – what they thought was her body.

Emily cursed herself silently. She couldn't think like this. A was getting into her mind. Slowly creeping into her. Emily was scared. She shook with cold, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Suddenly, her phone made the little bubble noise she set it as when she got notifications. She stared at her phone, as if it were a poisonous snake, ready to sink it's venomous, paining fangs into her if she touched it. Slowly, she reached down and picked it up. It wasn't from a blocked number, this time. It was from a number she didn't recognize. And when Emily read the text, her blood turned to ice.

_Em. Help me. _

_~Maya._


End file.
